About de Mairan's Nebula (M43)

de Mairan's Nebula is a rewarding deep-sky target and is visible as a compact luminous region. It has moderate brightness.

Current visibility

Right now it is at about 25° altitude and reaches 85° around 01:59 PM.

It stays above 30° for roughly 8 hours.

Nebulae benefit from filters, fine detail requires darker skies.

Observing tips

It requires patience and good conditions.

What to expect

Under good conditions, the object reveals more character.

It is more subtle than brighter Dso objects.

Type

Diffuse Nebula

Constellation

Orion

Distance

1600 ly

Size

20.0' x 15.0'

Season

Winter

Difficulty

Easy

Magnitude

9